To Accept and Propose
by SpearMintSwan
Summary: America takes his camera and Russia to his current obsession, Chernobyl. Can Russia find a new way to look at the place of sad memories? Russia x America, America and Ukraine friendship.


**A/N: **I finally uploaded something else! :) I hope y'all like it, I had actually found it while going through my documents. After editing, I decided to upload the poor abandoned fanfic. :D

Please enjoy!

* * *

><p>Alfred F. Jones, A.K.A America, was a man of curiosity and dignity; with thus, he liked tourist attractions and exciting things in the world that would deeply fascinate himself. He learned new things, added to his culture, brought back beautiful and creative ideas that only made his country more of a melting pot then it already was. With this need for adventure came other countries that were different then his; very different, that is. What better way to capture these moments then to do photography? The only question that swirled through his mind daily was where.<p>

Well, where was the culture ultimately different then his? England was out of the question. He had been to Japan practically daily. Cuba got angry every time he came over there. Germany became slightly suspicious of the things he was taking pictures of, and was afraid it would make his country look worse than it already was with the haunting past of WW2. So, the question was where? Where was he supposed to go?

In the end, there was only a few places left; and one of those places was Ukraine. The only reason he had held back from going there was Ivan, or more formally known as Russia, who he had the cold war with the last few years. He didn't want to start up complications _again, _so certainly, this wasn't a good idea, right? After all, Ukraine was he beloved older sister. Although, being the sweetheart she was, Alfred ended gaining access to one of the most fascinating places in the world; Chernobyl, Ukraine. The abandoned city of the souls that had slipped away during the nuclear meltdown accident.

There was one exception though; he most certainly couldn't go alone. Someone had to be there to guide him around the parts with exceptionally low radiation activity so that he wouldn't get contaminated. Ukraine herself had already stated that it would be too painful for her to go, so she invited the next best person...Russia himself.

Despite the fact that Ivan wasn't the ideal partner for himself, Alfred agreed to it just because it was _so _awesome and _so _creepy that he just _had _to go. Ivan did not approve of this, as he would put it, "ridiculous" idea, but with the help of his precious older sister he gave in. Alfred gave her a kiss on the cheek for that one; but that wasn't the point. She was one of his good friends after all, and neither of them thought of it as more than a friendly gesture.

Anyways, Ivan had met the excited American at the area itself. The area was cold, so he ended up walking shivering over to the other man, a winter coat wrapped tightly around himself. With a professional camera dangling around his neck, he met Russia near the first stop; the abandoned theme park.

With a soft smile twisted on his lips, Ivan stared at Alfred. He couldn't decide whether Alfred was happy or determined; perhaps both. Alfred smiled a toothy smile back, a pastel pink bloomed childishly at his cold cheeks. "Creepy place, huh?" he said, wanting to get started right away. Ivan shook his head. "Depends how you look at it. If you think wisely, many people died here. It's quite upsetting, not creepy, _da?_" he replied, staring off into the distance. Alfred laughed a little. "If you say so..," he trailed off, his voice hoarse from the cold weather.

With silence speaking for itself, both of them walked quietly over to the deserted Farris wheel. Yellow carts without any protection from falling out sang a demented melody while swinging slowly back and forth, back and forth. With fascination, Alfred crouched down and started taking pictures at all angles, feeling small next to the gigantic monument. Ivan watched Alfred's glasses reflect the yellow carts swinging. Sadness seemed to be catching up with Alfred himself, an eerie feeling exciting his inspiration. Was this beautiful contraption ever used? He had heard that the theme park itself had opened after the accident. How ironic.

"Ivan, can I ask you a question?" he asked as they walked to the abandoned go carts, getting as close as possible. Ivan stared at the other man. "Depends on the question. If it's a joke, this isn't the time," he replied, knowing Alfred's immature behavior may make its mark any moment. Alfred smiled softly. "Were you here when the reactor melted? Can you tell me a little more about the situation?" he questioned. Ivan's facial features grimaced, remembering all the moments he would rather not reencounter.

_"Ivan, my precious brother...please don't come any closer! You're going to get hurt, get out of here...please..." _His sister's screams echoed in his head, memories of people running in all directions flooding his mind. He wished Alfred hadn't asked the question, but it was part of learning to accept what had happened. He thanked his lucky stars that she hadn't been killed that day. Opening his mouth to speak, Alfred could see the hurt etched on his complexion. He understood.

"Yes, I was. We were still a close-knit family then. The Soviet Union, that is; it had made a huge impact. On April 26th, 1986, we had decided to conduct a systems test at that specific nuclear reactor, reactor four at the Chernobyl plant. My beloved sister had agreed to it, thinking how she could help me. I always loved the support I got from both my siblings; but anyway, something had gone terribly wrong. An explosion with fire suddenly corrupted the area, releasing large quantities of radioactive radiation into the place. Belarus's and my country were also affected, but oddly Belarus was absolutely devastated by the whole corruption, despite the place being in Ukraine. About 60% of the fallout landed in her country," he said, getting a nod by Alfred to continue.

"To cut it short, I think you know what happened; people immediately got infected, but luckily, my siblings and I as individuals did not. In the end, around 985,000 deaths were caused by contamination," he said in a upset but strong tone, aquatic fear he had at the time slightly pooling at his eyes. Alfred opened his mouth to speak, but then fell silent. He wasn't sure what to say. with half-lidded eyes now, he sighed, absorbing the information given to him. He picked up his strength and continued to take pictures. "Well, I'm sorry that happened. But whatever you do, don't think it's your fault," he told him, snapping a picture of a distracted Ivan.

Ivan looked surprised at Alfred, who smiled widely. He smiled back. _What a strange man, _ran through Ivan's mind, staring at the other. Breaking the silence and laughing too loudly and proudly, he got up from crouching and ran around in the empty space. Can't get too down, right? "Can we go to the creepy-ass school houses now? I saw some on the internet, their way wicked," he said, taking a picture of himself. Ivan earned back his creepy smile. "If you insist," he chorused, starting to walk there with him. The place was small, so it shouldn't take too long.

When they got there, Alfred shuddered. He was starting to actually get the creepy feeling now. Ivan began to look exceedingly happy, smiling at the scared Alfred. "Were here, isn't it lovely?" he asked, earning a look from Alfred like he was a crazy person. Alfred shook his head. _Shake it off, Al, shake it off, _he told himself as they stepped into the sad looking building. Ivan looked amused by Alfred's expression. Clearly, he wasn't too happy about the vibes he was getting; well, he was the one who wanted to come here in the first place though, and knowing Alfred he almost never gave in, that stubborn child. Oh well.

"Aw dude this is way creepy-OH GOD, I think I just saw a ghost of a child," he trailed off, earning a roll of the eyes from Ivan. Sighing, he looked at him, who was now taking a million snapshots and then hiding behind him. He had to admit that it was hilarious though. Still, he had to be respective because it was his sister's place. He smiled at Alfred. "Alfred, that's quite disrespectful, _da?" _he said to him, earning a look of shame from the other man. He had succeeded. "Sorry dude, but seriously..." He replied, his fear factor not fading.

Now griping onto his clothing, Alfred trailed closely behind Ivan, gas masks and glass scattered on the school floors. The school's wallpapers were torn, looking like rip marks made by nails. He took pictures of them; he thought maybe, just maybe, he could find a hidden message made by ghosts in them. Of course, he didn't tell Ivan with the fear of getting the disrespect comment again. He just couldn't help it though!

Through the rusty halls they made their way around, an eerie tone scattered through the atmosphere. Whispers of the wind danced through the hair, only adding to the scary feel. Something didn't belong here; you could just feel it. Alfred sighed, finally getting used to the feel of it. He walked reluctantly away from Ivan. Sadness filled his eyes again with seeing the school books of children torn up and stepped on. So much had been left behind...so many things that didn't deserve to be wasted. To think that children were involved in the harsh movement ripped him to shreds. He looked back at Ivan, who smiled at him. He must've had a strong heart to smile in such a place.

"It's painful isn't it?" Ivan asked, his eyes wandering around the room. Alfred nodded. "I think...I think I'm ready to see the hospital now," he said, figuring it would be easier to think about something other than children dying. Ivan looked at him with a spark in his eyes. "I can agree to that; but first, there is something here I think you will want to see," he said, walking the other direction. Alfred ran over to him, not wanting to be left alone. Where was the mysterious man taking him?

A room. A room that was the most rusty, the most weird; it didn't have a scary feeling, but a feeling of excitement and innocence. Staring at Ivan, they entered the deserted room. It was both a nursery and a kindergarten. His fascination meter was over the top with this; Ivan was correct. Alfred immediately started snapping away with the pictures, happily seeing what was in this abandoned room. Ivan smiled. "After everyone I have been told to take here, you are the only who has seen this room," he stated, earning a extreme smile from Alfred. Oh, did he love secret places, and especially with they came from mysterious scenes. How beautifully haunting it was, Alfred could've sworn he heard the soft melodies of a forgotten lullaby streaming in through the window. Perhaps, not all hope was lost through such a situation.

After exiting the creepy schoolhouse, it had started to get dark. They had to hurry over to the hospital, and Alfred had already jokingly told Ivan that he have to hold him in there if it got too dark. He had thankfully gotten used to the cold, but Alfred started to complain about being hungry; too bad there wasn't much food around the area. Ivan told him that it was good for him to walk around and not gain back weight from burgers; that didn't go over well, but with playful remarks came remembered memories.

When they had moved onto the hospital, that is when Alfred truly started to lose it. It was as bad as the time that he had made Arthur take him to an insane asylum. Arthur practically had to be a mother to Alfred through the whole thing; lovely, right? Arthur thought otherwise.

Ivan smiled as they entered the almost unstable hospital, walking around areas that looked like they might collapse. He continued to cling to the other's clothing. At this point, shuddering breaths came from Alfred, making Ivan worry slightly despite being amused by it. He gave out a high pitch screech with the sudden sound of glass breaking split through the silence, earning laughter from Ivan. If you were there, you'd be laughing too; it was just one of those things that was funny to see. The corridors not only slightly lighted, any shadow literally scared the living hell out of Alfred. He would take snapshots, hide, take snapshots, hide, etc.

"Ugh...ew, ew, ew...there's a toilet seat on the ground," he said, ironically taking a picture of it afterwards. Ivan laughed. "Why don't you touch it, if it scares you so much. Maybe a ghost took sat on it, _da,_" he teased, earning a scowl from Alfred. The sound of animals made rustling noises outside, causing Alfred to flee into Ivan's arms. He really couldn't care less who's arms he was fleeing into at this point, as long they were there he was fine.

Ivan smiled widely and pet Alfred's head affectionately. Alfred sighed into a more comfortable emotion, not caring about the creepy stroking of his hair. "Aw, what do we have here? A scared hero in the creepy hospital where souls of demons dance around, _da_?" He asked creepily, earning a horrified expression from Alfred. As if he wasn't already frightened enough! "Oh shut up..," he trailed off, hanging onto Ivan's torso lazily. "You know what I heard? I heard that there are still pieces of flesh on the ground-"

"Oh God ew! Dude that's totally crossing a line! I thought you were telling me to be serious!" he said, disgusted by what he was hearing. Sputters of laughter came from Ivan, making Alfred start to feel angst. "You suck! You know what? I need to get out of here dude...I'm hungry and tired and scared and it's getting dark!" he complained. Ivan smiled. He liked Alfred when he was weak enough to let down his stubbornness.

Ivan had been here a million times. He knew that this was a time to have fun, especially with Alfred now both frightened and tired. He pinned him to the nearest wall, laughing at his reaction. "Ivan! This is no place to annoy me in, I don't want to be pressed up into the damn scary wall..," He trailed off, not getting the message. Playful purple eyes stared at him, making him awkwardly blush and his own eyes avert away. He couldn't stare into them that long, no matter what he did. Ivan released one hand to place it under his chin, causing the automatic reaction of forcing him to look at him. It was more of a romantic gesture though, even if it sounded mean.

He leaned in and softly kissed him, both of their faces cold from the weather. Ivan released both his hands, moving him down to block him from around his shoulders. A more rougher kiss was piled onto the other one as Alfred weaved his cold hands in Ivan's hair, getting aroused by the movements, fear being replaced by warmth.

As they parted, Alfred wrapped his arms around Ivan's waist. "It's almost like falling in love," he whispered softly. Ivan looked curiously at him. "And it would be fully like being in love, if I weren't pressed against a scary wall!" he tested, coiling his body in so that it pressed against Ivan. The other man laughed.

"Okay, okay, I will get you out of here," he laughed softly, picking Alfred up and letting his legs wrap around his waist.

"You better! I'm so hungry, I probably lost like ten pounds by now," Alfred commented.

Ivan rolled his eyes, a playful smile on his face.

One good moment was worth a million sad memories; because now do you not only have the knowledge to accept, but you have the ability to propose a new look on the situation.

Alfred was always one to start such new beginnings.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Now that I think about it, I hope the subject doesn't offend anyone. I, by no mean, intended for such a matter. I apologize sincerely for any offense.

Anyways, I do love abandoned places, so I ran across Chernobyl. With my fascination and I quote from Winston Churchill, I was inspired to make this.

(Oh, and here's the quote for those who were wondering):

"You cannot deal with the most serious things in the world unless you also understand the most amusing." - Winston Churchill

I hope you enjoyed. :)


End file.
